Fable: The Blinded Way
by sirenxas
Summary: Who was the successor of the Hero of Oakvale's title? Well, what if that who turned out to the twins that the Hero had with the beautiful enchantress Lady Grey? Little and Sparrow have a lot to face in a rapidly changing Albion. This is basically a 'what Fable 2 should have been' story. AU. Rated M, because after all, this is based of an M rated game...
1. Chapter 1: The End and The Beginning

Chapter 1

Little groaned as his mother pinched his ear for snoring too loudly. It wasn't his fault the funeral lacked its first three letters – FUN! Brother Charles kept rambling on about the Hero of Oakvale's greatest achievements and how he would be gladly accepted into the arms of Avo. That prim old monk kept going on about how nearly fifteen years ago, the Hero of Oakvale went out and slew the biggest threat to Albion at the time. Little knew all about this, because he heard his father's stories… Losing his father was fun by any means. It had only been three days, and he missed his father terribly. As his mother scolded him, Little remained envious that his goody-two shoes sisters could behave. Sparrow sat next to Rose, both of them sobbing as quietly as they could.

When the gossipers talked of the family, there was a LOT to be said.

When the Hero of Oakvale defeated his foes at the Witchwood Arena about a decade ago, Lady Elvira Grey was a conniving witch of a woman. Everyone in the town of Bowerstone hated her. She was bitter about her position as mayor. It caused countless tensions in her family and it plagued her mind back then. The Hero blindly, of course, fell in love with the beautiful woman. She knew he would, otherwise all her magic love incantations would have gone to waste. But when the Hero finally killed Jack of Blades and came home triumphant, she had a change of heart. The Hero was always so kind towards her, even though he knew of her secrets. He had his own secrets… like how he'd hit Maze a couple of times as a kid. Or that one time where he killed Twinblade out of pure anger. That was a much debated topic. Twinblade was an ex-hero and all, you know. Her now deceased husband could be pretty evil back then. But once he realized he could change the world for the better, the Hero of Oakvale was reborn into a very nice man. Keeping him on the straight and narrow wasn't too hard since Elvira was pregnant with their eldest, Rose at that point.

And speaking of Rose, she was commonly thought of as a mix of her mother and father. She had her father's hair color, her mother's eyes and beauty. But the Hero knew that Rose could never be a child of the Hero's Guild. She lacked the blood thirst to kill other creatures or to witness evil. Rose only showed anger when her family was threatened. She only showed promise in her gardening abilities, to be honest. And those creepy gnomes she collected...

Then there were her younger siblings. Twins. Hard to come by in Albion, actually. They were about eight years younger than Rose. And that was basically the end of their similarities.

The boy, Little, was named so after the Hero of Oakvale himself. Being called Little seemed better than being called Junior. But Little was a little ruffian. He liked to pick on and beat the other kids. His father would regularly chastise him, but to no avail. He seemed to take after the evil sides of both his parents. One thing was certain – he was good with a wooden sword or a toy gun, and could sneak up on you like a ghost. His parents only wished he wasn't so ready to spill blood when an argument amongst his peers came about. He looked like a split image of his father – eyes, physique, facial structure – all of it.

Sparrow was more calm and innocent. She preferred to read her books about the Old Kingdom to picking fights. She was like the good in both parents, showing her magic abilities at such a young age by using minor healing spells. She had blonde hair which Elvira enjoyed putting up in all kinds of new fashions. But Sparrow looked pitiful sitting there in black, crying her somber deep blue eyes out. Out of the three children, Sparrow felt the most somber about her father's death. Even though she lacked the skill to heal her father, she blamed herself for not saving him.

"Rose, take your siblings up to the coffin." Elvira whispered. Rose stood up, grasping the hands of her younger siblings and taking them to the coffin. Sparrow nearly flung herself into the grave with her father, but Rose yanked her back. It tore Elvira up inside to see her flesh and blood so saddened.

"Little, put the sword on the coffin now." Rose whispered. Little (for once) didn't argue and put the sword on top of the coffin.

They moved aside for their mother, who brought a black rose to the coffin. She placed it above her beloved's favorite sword, not believing this could be the end of their love story. He had changed her world in so many ways…

The Guildmaster's voice pierced the grave air about them. It was hard to not know which man was Weaver with that ridiculous tattoo on his head.

"I am honored that you allowed us to bury the Hero here… It's been so long since such a hero has graced our grounds. Know that all three of your children have a home here, Elvira. If they need it..." Weaver sighed.

"Well, it seemed to fit." Rose said. Always chipper, that one. "Father used to tell us all kinds of stories about his days here."

"Oh yes, he was such a little rebel… Only if more people had his love of life. This Guild would become the place for warriors again. Thankfully that old coot hung around long enough to teach me how to use a gun… Doubt I'll need it now, though." Weaver coughed into a handkerchief. He looked into the white fabric with a look of depression on his face.

"What is it?" Sparrow asked. She deemed herself a little doctor just because of all those old books and ancient spells.

"Ugh. It's just the old broken rib acting up, I think. Besides, old men all need to die eventually. Doesn't help that I spent all those years trying to keep your father from setting beetles on fire..." Weaver muttered.

Little laughed at that. He would have to try that one day.

Elvira sighed as she watched some of the strongest warriors in Albion bury her husband six feet under.

"Oh, Elvira. This letter came for you about a week ago. I… I meant to get one of the apprentices to go down to Bowerstone to give it to you, but… it didn't happen, of course." The Guildmaster mumbled, pulling out a piece of parchment.

Elvira opened the letter cautiously, anxious to see what was inside. When her eyes finished scanning the page, she sighed angrily.

"So… that… sister is really… real?" Elvira tried her best to make her incomplete thought into a sentence.

"Yes. She's been… up near the Northern Wastes, doing Avo knows what. Why? What does it say-"

"She foresaw the death of my husband, that's why!" Elvira cried, at her breaking point. "Now she wants me to believe I need to sent the children to live with her! How dare she? She has never met me before in my life, let alone her own nieces and nephews!"

"Mother, please calm down. Let's just go home now. It's getting dark, and I think Little's going to start whacking away at a tree if he doesn't get food soon." Rose said, her arm on her mother's shoulder.

"Your daughter is right. Besides, Theresa may or not be legitimate in her claims. She has never been at the Hero's Guild before and has no training in her will abilities. It's probably all hogwash based off some hallucinations she has had or something." Weaver stated, shrugging. Then he coughed a few more times.

Elvira accepted the fact Theresa was odd, and decided to take her children home. The last thing they needed today was more drama. As they said goodbye, Little tried to smack one of the apprentices in the legs with a wooden stick.

"Little! Put that stick down! That's it, young man! When we get home, you're going to help Rose put all the chickens back into their pen… Avo knows those creatures are escape artists." Elvira snapped, dragging her son away from the Guild's courtyard. It was going to be hard getting him to obey now that his father was gone.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I made the Hero be with Lady Grey... If you don't like the pairing, this story isn't really about them, so... (as if that wasn't obvious). If you didn't catch the subtle hints, this takes place 16 years after Fable: The Lost Chapters ends (after you defeat Jack of Blades for the 2nd time). Rose is 15, Little and Sparrow are 8. And yes, this Rose is the equivalent of the Rose from Fable II. If you have any questions about the story, ask and you shall be answered. If there are any possible plot holes (as I've reread this chapter a zillion times and well, I don't see any), let me know, and I'll fix it! :)


	2. Chapter 2: Once Tranquil Family Life

Chapter 2

"Mom, why can't we stay at the Guild?" Sparrow asked, dropping her doll onto the carpet in front of her. When she got comfortable kneeling in front of her mother so her hair could be brushed, she picked up the doll again. It was one of those silly Hero dolls her father collected, in the shape of a muscular South Island native named Thunder.

"Because. When we had you guys, we promised that you would live a relatively normal life. Away from all that… nonsense. It took a toll on your father. If he lived a normal life, he would have lived longer, like that Weaver." Elvira said, trying to get her squirming daughter to sit still.

"But mom, I'm eight now. In a few years I may lose the chance to be a Hero. I want to be a master of will! Just like William Black!" Sparrow squealed as the brush went through her hair.

"Honey, William Black was a raging psychopath with a need for power who ultimately destroyed that 'wonderful' old kingdom you rave about." Elvira sighed, brushing her sweet child's hair.

"Fine. I'll be Nostro then! He founded the Hero's Guild and made the arena where you fell in love with Daddy!" Sparrow said excitedly.

"I wish you would choose a more normal role model, darling. How about Cinderella? She cleaned for a long time then became the wife of a prince. There. Perfect life for you, a princess!" Elvira said, hoping to dissuade her daughter.

Before Sparrow could reply, Little came back into the house, covered in dirt. Rose was giggling behind him.

"Oh my! What on Albion did you get into?" Elvira asked.

"The chickens didn't like being kicked, mom!" Rose smirked.

Elvira then made a warm bath for her son, shooing the two girls from the room. After his bath was over, Little went upstairs and retreated into his room.

"Everyone going to bed now?" Elvira somewhat shouted in the upstairs hallway.

"Yes, momma!" Was the reply.

"Good. Now if you need anything, by Avo, don't bother me about it! Just… call for your nanny." Elvira said, going down the stairs. She didn't bother to remember the nanny's name, she would most likely find a little fault with her and fire her by the end of the week. She never needed a nanny when the Hero of Oakvale was alive…

Lady Elvira Grey sighed at the flash of memories this house contained. It seemed like only yesterday that she was pregnant with the twins, commanding a million working men around to get Grey Manor into her ideal family home. If she had known her husband had sold some of his legendary weapons to get enough gold to remodel the place, she wouldn't have made such outrageous demands. Then again, it kept Lady Grey from selling the local school's library again. But still, it wasn't like they really needed that ornate garden or the brood of chickens. Those were little things to keep the kids busy. But there was one part of the house she felt was a mixed bag. The basement. While she was no Will practitioner, she had a pretty firm grasp on making all kinds of potions. These things were labeled by the clueless locals as witchcraft. Which it wasn't, to be honest. The only reason she was called a witch was because of that awful business with Jack of Blades and her sister… But that was over a long time ago. She was a changed woman now. And she liked her simple alchemy. She was the one who made sure her husband had a full inventory of resurrection files and health potions before every battle. But she was also scared of what the citizens of Bowerstone would do to her if they knew of this basement… Nonetheless, Elvira Grey slipped into the basement to spend hours among her concoctions.

"Sparrow, why are you bothering me?" Rose mumbled, sitting up in her bed.

"I heard something." Sparrow whispered, climbing into Rose's queen sized bed.

"Something like… what?" Rose asked. She was curious now.

For a moment, Sparrow said nothing, letting silence slip into the room. There was a faint little sound, like someone was playing a lullaby on a piano. Except more mechanical and harsh than a typical lullaby. Rose's ears perked up at the sound, confused on where the sound came from. Sparrow, without saying a word, got up and went to the window. An odd light illuminated her face that didn't come from the moon. Sparrow then pointed out the window, a surprisingly calm look on her face. Rose came to her side to see what the object of her pointing was.

"Music." Sparrow whispered, putting her hand down so that Rose could see the lone figure of a cloaked woman standing under a tree. Rose stared for a moment, then her eyes met a great line of lit torches.

Without thinking, Rose grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her to Little's room.

"Little, get up! Little!" Rose yelled, trying to get Sparrow to cooperate.

"Wha…? Ugh..." Little mumbled, rolling over in bed. Rose sighed and let go of Sparrow's hand in order to rouse her brother.

After getting Little up, Rose turned to where Sparrow stood. But she was gone. Rose could see her blonde head going down the hallway.

"SPARROW!" Rose screamed as an explosion hit the side of Grey manor.

Servants ran about the whole manor, scared out of their minds.

"Mama!" Little cried, too scared to cry for someone else. "Where's mama?!"

"She'll be safe, I know she will. But first we have to get out of here." Rose lied. She honestly was worried about her mother. But the safety of her siblings and her own person had to come first. That's the way her mother would want it.

A cluster of men with long coats, oddly shaped hats and rifles came storming through the hallway. Rose's instinct was to find a place to hide. But Little had a different idea. He sneaked past the men, using the darkness of the hallway to conceal his path. He stopped as one man tripped, and seemingly poked the man until he got back up. The men ran past him without noticing. In fact, they ran past everyone without caring. They were looking for something…

Rose caught up with her younger brother and the duo ran outdoors. They ran until Little tripped over a tree branch. As Rose was helping him up, she looked up to see the back of Sparrow's head. Then voices were heard.

"You consorted with Jack of Blades to kill your own sister!" A man's voice said, with a bunch of echos supporting his words. "We are to make sure Albion never suffers again, and you are a liablity!"

There was silence, and a swoosh. Then the mob started shouting a victory cry. Sparrow dropped down to her knees, screaming. But the cries of the men were so loud she went unheeded.

Then Rose saw what had become of her own mother. She saw the head first. That's when she covered Little's eyes. It was too late to cover Sparrow's eyes, she had watched this foul act occur. The men seen running about the house had multiplied outside their house. And now they were wrapping up their dead mother's body in some kind of fabric. Well, not the body as a whole. They used very sharp axes and cleavers to disassemble Lady Elvira Grey.

Rose let go of Little's head for a moment and puked. She couldn't take it. The sight was too disgusting.

"Hey! Her kids! Grab 'em!" One of the mob members cried, running towards the three. Sparrow didn't move, and Rose grabbed her by the shoulder. Rose stood, one sibling under one arm and the other under the second arm. Little pulled out the small adult pistol and shot the man in the torso when he got close enough.

"Ack! The bloody bloke has a gun!" The man screamed, falling over in agony. He was dead in seconds. Some of the mob members shrugged and decided to try to intimated the children by going in to surround them.

Rose and Sparrow screamed in fright at the sight of their own brother with a gun.

"What? I grabbed it off one of those guy-thingys. Ironing." Little said. Rose rolled her eyes despite their situation. He was trying to say 'irony' – it was a word their mother taught them in his impromptu English classes. But he apparently never learned.

Weaver suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Come with me!" Weaver yelled, holding out his hand. Rose immediately grabbed his hand and she watched as a bluish white glowing wind surrounded what remained of her family as well as Weaver.

* * *

A/N: Meant to post this earlier, but oh well... better late than never. Guess who the guild teacher is...? Never mind, don't bother.


	3. Chapter 3: New Places, Old Memories

Chapter 3

"I guess this isn't too bad." Little sighed, leaning up against a fence in front of the Hero's Guild.

"It's bad. Pretty bad, okay?" Rose snapped, her tears making her voice bitter.

Little tried to act like a man. It was the only way to not let the grief get a hold of him. It was the only way the pain couldn't and wouldn't take over him.

Weaver seemed worn out himself from the brief trip. He was a few feet from Little, leaning against the same fence and coughing.

Sparrow sighed. This isn't how she wanted to come to the Hero's Guild. Not when she knew both her parents were now belonging to the dirt. Not when she felt her father's mentions of Oakvale's burning could now accurately describe her childhood.

"Children, go in. I'll… catch up, I'm certain." Weaver moaned, only to cough and pant more. Little ran towards the Guild's doors, with Sparrow and Rose trailing behind him.

The Guild's interior was basically untouched from the time their father was a prominent student there, according to his descriptions. The mini-Cullis gate was still intact and to the right of the room. The little place their father called a study of some sort – where heroes would go to upgrade their skills – was to the left. The grand stair case was still there, just made of shining gold now. The upstairs was completely remolded after a surge of new recruits came in. Now there were actual separate rooms with doors and the like. The map was bigger and more detailed, mainly thanks to their father's travels. Only one edge of the map was left blank, and that little edge intrigued their father to no end. He used to come up with strange theories about what lied there many times, just for laughs. It was difficult to be without him, especially now…

"Where's that woman!?" Weaver finally said, coming in through the big front door. "Briar Rose! Briar! Briar-"

"I'm comin', I'm coming! There's no need to remind me fifty times what my name is or how impatient you are, old man." A female voice said from the top of the stairs. Rose recongized the woman as she descended the stairs – short, black hair with grey streaks, glasses, and an odd sense of fashion. Briar Rose was both Rose's godmother and her namesake. They hadn't seen each other since Sparrow and Little were born.

"Meet your new students. Rose, Little and Sparrow. They've had a rough night, so just put them to bed and let that be the end of it for now. You can talk to them all day tomorrow about your fighting theories." Weaver sighed, clutching his side. "Now, if you excuse me, children, I am going to retire for the evening."

None of the trio said a word. They watched their Guildmaster go up the stairs. There was no need to talk, in truth, for Briar Rose seemed to have an entire conversation planned.

"Is it you, Rosy? Rose as in Farm Boy's Rose? My, you have grown! And you're… how old now?" Briar Rose asked.

"I'm 15 now, godmother. Sparrow and Little are 8." Rose spoke as steadily as she could without grief creeping into her voice.

"Ah. I didn't get a chance to get a good eye on you at the funeral, that's all. I'm sorry about your father. But enough chitchat. You're here for the good old-fashioned Hero's Guild experience, right?" Briar Rose said, her signature smile creeping onto her face. "We've recently gotten a wave of new recruits, you know. Luckily there's one room left. Sadly, that room also happens to be occupied by a… an oddball, if you will. I just got done turning off the lights and taking those dang books from him..."

Briar Rose started up the stairs, and they all followed. They drug their feet up the stairs, almost scared to see their new roommate.

"Gareth-" Briar Rose said as she opened the first dorm room door.

"It's Garth!" A voice cried from the room.

"Gareth, Garth, Gorth, whatever! You have roommates now. You have ten minutes to get all settled then I'm coming back up here to turn off the lights once and for all… Hey, where did you get that book?!" Briar Rose exclaimed.

"Library's downstairs, Miss Briar Rose." The voice of Garth replied smugly.

"Ugh! Stop calling me that and put that book away in the next ten minutes or else I'll… I'll revoke your library rights!" Briar Rose sighed, moving away from the door. "He's all yours now."

Rose sighed and walked into the room, not knowing what to expect. Little trumphiantly went in after her – hoping this boy would like mischief as much as he did. Sparrow just walked in and found a bed to lie on top of to try and sleep.

Garth was a skinny little boy of about 10 or 12 with a big book of Old Kingdom knowledge on his lap. His skin tone matched the group of people the Albion locals called South Islanders. Their father only ever mentioned two other people from the South Islands, but they weren't major players in their father's tale for the most part. Garth was on a top bunk right next to the window, which let him read his book under the full moonlight.

"Ha! I knew I wouldn't be alone for long… hang on, I need to find my… aha!" Garth exclaimed, picking up a monocle and placing it on his left eye. "Sorry, I have some kind of vision problem with this eye… I can't see real good from far away with it. So, two girls and a boy. Huh. That evens out this room properly. I'm Garth, future Duke of a quarter of Samarkand. Never bothered to mention what part, because the people of Albion seem to have no knowledge of Samarkand geography. Anyway, my mother was a great warrior known for her agility and skill in the Hero's Guild and my father is… the Duke of a quarter of Samarkand. I already see one of you has already gotten their bed arrangement… arranged, I suppose."

"Oh. Yes. That's Sparrow. She reads boring old books like you." Little said in apparent disgust. He disliked this boy already. He didn't seem like the kind of boy to try and ruin his mother's shoes or put makeup on a chicken. "I'm Little, and that's Rose."

"Hello! Welcome to my humble abode! I have only one request for you staying in this room – just don't tell Miss Briar Rose how many books I have in here. She'd probably burn all the books. And if you are to sleep on bunk beneath me, try not to move the books I have stored underneath the bed. I have them in order of how I wish to read them. I'm researching the Old Kingdom, you see. We don't have anything like that in Samarkand. Maybe you can borrow a book my mother helped write about Samarkand some day. Maybe Sparrow would like to borrow one of the books from my vast collection. I guess I'll just ask her tomorrow. Now, let me take off this monocle and start to fall asleep before Miss Briar Rose comes back..." Garth said, putting the thick volume under his pillow and getting under the covers. "Good night!"

Little huffed and went to the bunk under Garth's. If he had to live with such a geek, Little could at least try to annoy him a little. Rose took the other bed across the way from Sparrow, but not before checking on her young sister. Rose sighed deeply as she saw that Sparrow had indeed been crying before she fell asleep, but it was understandable. Rose began to worry about her sister though, not speaking a single word since they left home…

"Goodnight, you guys. No more reading Garth, okay?! Go to bed. Everyone's first lessons begin tomorrow. So get some well deserved z's. Avo knows I need them." Briar Rose sighed, blowing out the lantern near the door.

Garth found it doubtful that any of his roommates fell asleep soundly that night. For when he first got removed from his home and put into the midst of Albion, he found himself crying every night out of homesickness. He wished he could comfort them more, but his friendship felt like the best comfort he could give. Unless a healing spell could have repaired homesickness in any way.

A/N: Sorry for the looooooooooooooooooong wait! :( I FINALLY have internet at my house, so now it's possible for me to post updates and write from the comfort of my house. Plus, a lot of personal bullcrap was going on called life. And yes, Briar Rose is going to teach the class. Will she be as good as Weaver was? Who knows. Garth is of course, the same Garth from Fable II. I changed his age though. ***** Spoilers ***** Garth was who knows how old when you first see him in Lord Lucien's castle, then you spend all those years in the Spire and he still looks kinda the same… so I have no idea how old he is, so now he's 12. *End Spoilers* Woohoo! 12 year old Duke of a quarter of Samarkand Garth all the way!


	4. Chapter 4: Lessons

Chapter 4

"Come on, get up!" Garth said as he watched Rose and Little get out of bed. It was about 7 in the morning according to the good old fashioned clock. It was time for breakfast already, and Garth didn't want to be late. His punctuality was doubled with the fact that he wanted his new roommates to not be tardy on their first day as well.

"Sparrow? Miss Sparrow?" Garth whispered, touching her shoulder gently. He was not willing to touch her more than necessary. "It's time to get up."

Sparrow sat up in the bed after a moment, clutching her doll of Thunder. Gareth smiled at this discovery and backed away to his own bed. He looked over to Rose's bed, only to find her gone. The bunk under his bed was empty as well. Little and Rose must have where everything was, unlike Garth. Garth barely knew anything about his surroundings thanks to the fact he only moved there two days ago.

"Um… It's time for breakfast, you know. Big day. First lessons always make me anxious. Even with the tutors of Samarkand, first lessons were dreaded." Garth stated, picking up his reading material from last night. He hoped for a response, but there was none. He expected that Sparrow had already left, but the opposite was true. She was still on her bed, staring at Garth.

Without another word, Garth made up his bed. There were no servants willing to go into every dorm and clean them – just bad students with detention. Last thing he needed was a bad child going through his items and tattletelling on him.

"You know, your siblings… wait, are they your siblings? I just assumed you were, you all look alike. Same grit in your eyes… Anyways, they told me you like books. Well, I have a treasure trove of books under my bed. Maybe after class you'd like to read one?" Garth asked politely, trying to get Sparrow to talk. It failed. She just stared up at him and nodded unsteadily.

"Alright then. Um… our roommates left without giving me a clue of where to go. I have no bearing of this place. We are supposed to be going to breakfast, followed by stressful lessons. Do you know where the dining hall is?" Garth asked again, with Sparrow's only response being to get up and go to the door. Garth followed her, hoping she knew this place better than he did.

The dining room was just one long, big table with uncountable amounts of chairs lining the sides. There was a bar tucked into the enclave, but you had to be an apprentice to even sit at the bar. So the table was were they were stuck.

"Sparrow! There you are! This food isn't so bad!" Little exclaimed from one end of the table, sitting on his knees instead of on his bottom. He had his mouth full. Typical Little behavior, eating like a rogue bandit.

"Little, stop it! Chew your food before you eat. And cut smaller pieces of your pancake! And stop putting bacon in that poor child's milk!" Rose snapped, tugging on Little's ear.

Sparrow sat next to her twin brother. Garth took a respectable chair to leave an empty space between him and his roommates.

"Is this seat taken?" A soft voice asked from behind Garth and Sparrow. A tall, what could be presumed to a be a girl from the high pitched voice, with long untamed masses of red hair stood towering above the table.

"Oh, no. Feel free to sit there." Garth said, smiling.

"Goodness. I never thought I'd get to eat. Oh, by the way, my name's Hannah." The new girl said, squeezing in between the two shorter people. Garth moved his chair down just to give her more room. "Hey, aren't you going to eat?"

Sparrow and Garth both sat at the table without plates before them. Garth was devouring his book, while Sparrow just stared at the table with sad eyes.

"Oh, no thank you, Miss Hannah. In Samarkand, we eat big meals called brunches. Lunch is at 11, correct? That would suit me fine. The only hunger I have now is for knowledge." Garth said, flipping a page.

"I believe so. But what about the girl?" Hannah asked.

"Sparrow, aren't you going to eat?" Rose suddenly asked, pausing from her own meal to check on her sister's well being. Sparrow had no response. "I wish I had gotten both of you a plate..."

"No big deal. I have some extra bacon here. It's burnt, but it's food. Here you go." Hannah said, placing a plate of bacon before Sparrow. Sparrow just took about five bites and continued her staring. "Is bacon really that bad or is she just like that?"

"She hasn't talked to me at all." Garth muttered from his book. "Tried getting her to talk all morning."

"I didn't know she'd be so… scarred." Rose sighed. "Seeing mom… thinking about it alone just makes me wish to vomit."

Hannah and Garth both were lost for words. Garth had both his parents. Hannah had indeed lost her parents, but she was only a little baby at the time.

Little finished his plate and grabbed a piece of bacon off Sparrow's plate. When Rose scolded him, he gave back the bacon with a huff. Then he ran off into the Hero Guild's training grounds. Just as he went out the door, the bell signifying the end of breakfast rang. All the future heroes eating in the room soon abandoned their plates and went outdoors, with Rose making sure Sparrow kept up with her.

"Apprentices, Weaver will teach you the ways of Will today. That part of the class is dismissed from formation." Briar Rose's voice said above the crowd. "As for the new students, follow me to our strength training grounds."

The crowd now lessened to about ten individuals, ranging from 8 to 13 years old. Rose was the oldest of them all. This made her feel isolated despite being in a crowd.

"Welcome to the Hero's Guild. As you may know, my name is Briar Rose. This is the birth place of the greatest heroes of your generation, such as the bandit king Twinblade, the siblings Thunder and Whisper, and… for Avo's sake! Are you ruffians really needing to cause destruction now? Out of all things?" Briar Rose said, squinting at a boy of Little's height holding a toy gun and pretending to shoot one of his many friends to death.

"What? Do you not like the grace of my shot, madame?" The boy asked, blowing his black bangs out of his face.

"What I do not like is your attitude, Reaver! Come on, come up here." Briar Rose sighed, her hands on her hips. "Give me that gun, now."

The boy named Reaver huffed and handed her the gun with sadness in his eyes. He then turned to his classmates and flashed a smile, which sparkled in the morning sun.

Little already liked this boy. Instead of staying near his siblings, he went to the back of the crowd and found his way next to Reaver.

"Can't believe that old coot took my toy gun! If my parents were only to get me that fancy Dragonstomper, then I'll show her..." Reaver bragged in a whispered tone to his group of adoring friends. "And what are you, sneaking up on a man of skill like me?"

Little felt a blush creep up on his face. He had never been caught sneaking before. This was a novel moment for him, to be honest. But dignity demanded he pretend to be hurt.

"You? Skillful? Ha! You can't even get past that teacher with your toy gun, let alone a real one!" Little replied. "I doubt you even know how to work a real gun!"

"On the contrary, I have worked with real guns before thanks to my father. I suppose I don't need to throw fancy names at you, simpleton! One day, I'll show you exactly what I'm worth!" Reaver snapped back, clutching his fists. This introduction wasn't going very well, Little noted.

"Well then, prove it. Tonight, when it's lights out, you're going to steal back your toy gun from Briar Rose. And I'm gonna watch. If you do it, I'll never doubt you again. If you can't do it, you have to admit to the class that you're a fraud!" Little demanded, hoping this could redeem the conversation. Their voices got louder, apparently, because some more students turned to watch them talk.

"Fine. Deal." Reaver smiled, his arms crossed on his chest.

"Good, since you two are so well acquainted, you two can be partners for our fist exercise." Briar Rose said, pointing to Reaver then Little. "Everyone, get a stick. And please, don't poke out anyone's eyes today. That means you, Harold!"

Reaver approached the pile of sticks first and got the biggest one he could find. Little tried to get one bigger or just as big as Reaver's but failed. Everyone else was already lined up, ready for battle. Hannah was across from a very nervous Rose, Garth stood as truimphantly as he could across from his silent sparring partner Sparrow, and Reaver just stared Little down as they stood across from each other.

"Okay. So for this exercise, you are going to tap – and I mean TAP, not bloodthirstily kill, your opponent ten times okay? Just to make sure you can hit with a stick, okay? If the stick breaks, just get another one. You'll have to get used to it anyways." Briar Rose instructed. "Go!"

Hannah poked Rose with the stick as Rose just stood there, motionless. After ten times, Rose took her turn with Hannah taking over the standing still. Garth took forever to tap Sparrow just once, because he didn't want to hurt her. After ten minutes, Garth was done and Sparrow just tapped him once before she put down her stick. Garth sighed, bitterly disappointed in his partner.

Reaver and Little, however, were engaging in an all out war. Every time one of them would attempt to tap the other, dodging methods were used. Reaver had gotten to six and Little had gotten to seven by the time everyone else finished. When Reaver's stick broke, Little gave him no time to retrieve another weapon. It had become all out punches by then. Reaver kept punching Little in vulnerable spots while Little kept trying to poke Reaver's eyes out.

"You two stop it! Stop!" Briar Rose shouted, running over and pulling Reaver off Little. Little still attempted to fight him while Briar was holding him. Hannah leapt in to try and help, grabbing Little and lifting him over her shoulder.

Defeated, Little sighed. He stopped struggling and just glared at Reaver. Reaver could only smile, knowing he had won by default in a way. Both of the boys had bruises, cuts and scrapes.

"Both of you have just earned detention!" Briar Rose scolded. "If it weren't for your good fighting skills, you would have detention for two weeks..."

Rose crossed her arms over her chest as both boys were dragged back into the Guild by the overweight barkeep. Sparrow giggled despite herself, for her brother never fought and lost before.

A/N: Duh Reaver and Hannah are the same Reaver and Hannah Hammer from Fable II. I had too much fun writing Reaver and Little's tiny fight… Sadly, their detention isn't going to be as glorious as their fight. Unless making up beds and washing dishes count as glorious.


	5. Chapter 5: New News

Chapter 5

Sparrow delved deeper into her book. Technically, it was the Guild's book. But Garth insisted she read it. So here she was, sitting in the library, reading her book. Little was up in their room, sleeping after another night of detention – for the past week, Little had done nothing but get in trouble with that boy named Reaver. She hadn't told Little how she didn't like him constantly in trouble. Mainly because she couldn't talk. She would try to say something, but every time she opened her mouth, she felt like screaming. Sparrow had to keep her mind busy or else what she last saw of her mother would come back to her.

This was her dream, wasn't it? To be at the Guild? To become a master of Will? It was, at one point, but now it felt empty. Rose was as close to a mother or father that she could come across. Little was just a pain and a menace. She had true friends now. Garth would try to start conversations with her all the time. It used to annoy her at first. Then Garth's true motivations came to light. All he wanted was a friend. Then there was Hannah. Hannah was very kind and sweet. Whenever Sparrow did not have enough food, Hannah always gave her some. Hannah taught Sparrow how to climb trees and several fighting techniques. Overall, the Hero's Guild was amazing. The experience was tainted by the fact she was still grieving for her parents. And the Will training never truly began until the apprenticeship years. For now, it was just meditation for ten minutes after lunch.

"Sparrow." Garth said, waving his hand in front of her. "I've been calling you for the last five minutes. That book better be pretty good, right?"

Sparrow nodded politely.

"We need to develop a sign language for you or something." Garth joked. "Anyways, I've talked to Rose and Hannah about this thing. It's a festival celebrating the coronation of King Lucien tomorrow in Bowerstone South. It's going to be great, I bet! Even though I don't believe Albion has had a king for quite some time..."

Sparrow shrugged.

"I want you to go with us. It'll be a fun way to spend a Saturday. Besides, who knows when you're going to see something so great ever again? We'll have to get up early though. Well, breakfast early. We'll grab some food from the cafeteria and walk down to Bowerstone! It'll be wonderful!" Garth enthused. "So, are you going with us? Rose and Hannah are going..."

Sparrow nodded without thinking too much about it. She regretted it a little afterwards, because it was so close to where the Grey Manor used to be. Maybe she wouldn't see Grey Manor from Bowerstone South. It was two neighborhoods away, in the recently created Brightwall Gardens district.

"Good! I guess that brat of a little brother will wanna come along, right? As long as Miss Briar Rose says it's okay… I'm going to bed now, Sparrow. Bye." Garth said politely, walking out of the library.

A/N: Shortest. Chapter. Ever. Haha. Yes, Lucien is a king now! I… I just don't get why on Earth he wasn't a king in Fable II. I mean, he lives in the only castle in Albion (presumably) and is seemingly the only ruler in all of Albion. So let's bow down to King Lucien! Stay tuned for awesomeness. Or at least attempted awesomeness.


	6. Chapter 6: Coronation Day Part 1

Chapter 6

Rose held her siblings' hands close to her sides. Hannah was ahead of them, carrying a backpack full of food. Garth and Reaver were behind them, with Reaver trying to shoot anything that moved along the path while Garth just sighed at the boy. Reaver was lucky he was a friend of Little's. Otherwise, Rose would have made sure he stayed back at the Guild.

The Bowerstone Bridge came right into sight. The group's footsteps quickened. They were ready to finally to be in the city after their brisk little walk.

 _Thank Avo I got everyone's clothes washed before doing this… especially Little's._ Rose thought to herself, looking down at Little. Little was sticking his tongue out at Reaver in that moment. Rose responded to that vulgarity but pinching him. Truthfully, she was getting tired of keeping up with her brother's escapades. It was wearing her thin. All the studying, all the new friends, and to top it off a sister who won't talk and a brother who won't stop getting in trouble.

"Here for the coronation?" A guard asked at the gate entrance.

"Yes, sir." Hannah responded politely.

"On future King Lucien's orders, I will have to search that sack after you leave the city. Don't want any thieves, now do we?"

"No, sir." Hannah responded again.

The guard then opened the gate for the troop of misfits.

The streets were more crowded than usual. People were everywhere. Some were straight in the middle of the street, and others were on the sidewalk. Most were crowding around tavern. The streetlamps were draped with flowers. Some were lucky enough to wreathed. Bright red roses, plain white roses, placid violets, vivid blue flax flowers and mellow daffodils were all showered upon the posts. Many vendors had closed their stores, and in their place there were street vendors. One woman stood near the gate, trying to sell flowers matching those of the lamp posts. One man stood in front of the tailor's store, selling bags of confetti and flower petals. Put one man seemed to attract the most attention.

"Pictures! Get your pictures right here with my stupifying photo-proton-recording deluxe edition camera-majigger! Free pictures to the first 5 people who come up here!" A man on top of a box shouted, holding a very odd contraption.

"Whoa!" Little cried, staring at the camera. "I didn't know they can do that!"

"Make pictures, you mean. Little, you grew up staring at father's portrait." Rose sighed.

"But… instant photos!" Little groaned, upset that they had passed the man with the camera.

"Later, okay? Just… let us find a place to eat first." Garth commented, making sure Rose didn't have to waste her time convincing him.

"How about in the tavern?" Hannah asked as they approached the iconic building.

"But… we're like… super young! Isn't there a drinking age or some-" Rose began, fixing her ponytails.

"It's worth a try." Hannah replied, going into the tavern. Everyone else had no choice but to follow her.

The seat Hannah chose was the biggest corner of the building, right next to the door. Windows let her see all the coronation action outside. She was going to ask if the patrons sitting there wouldn't mind sharing the table with her and her friends. But as soon as she opened her mouth, they all got up and ran. One of the benefits of being big, she guessed.

"Whoa. Good seats." Rose said, sitting down next to her. Without much arranging, everyone sat in their usual spots. Hannah next to Rose, Rose next to Sparrow, Sparrow next to Garth, Garth next to Little, Little next to Reaver and Reaver next to Hannah, making the circle table dynamic work very well.

They ate their belayed breakfast in silence, then they left the tavern peacefully and unnoticed. Even Little didn't like being in that crowded, smelly space for too long.

"Look!" Little shouted as they heard trumpets in the distance.

Down at the gates of the city, there was a throng of people. Everything that stood out was white and gold. All the kids could see were two white horses. The horses had on an elegant regalia – flowers were strewn up in their mane, white swan feathers on their foreheads and a bridle made of shining gold with glowing purple garnets. As the carriage came closer to the iconic stairs separating Bowerstone South from Bowerstone North, the beauty was even more noticeable. The carriage had the crest of the Fairfax family engraved in gold on the sides. The wheels themselves were pure gold. Garth had to take off his monocle and hope that he wouldn't go completely blind from this spectacle.

The people in the carriage surprised the children the most. To the right was a man. Very pale. He was wearing a white and gold suit with purple embroidery. On his suit was a boutonniere of a violet. His neatly groomed hair was black with sideburns along the sides of his face to match. To the left was a woman. She was slightly shorter than the man. Her blonde hair was in a bun, with gold ribbons occassionally peeking out from her locks. She had on a dress of white dress, with gold embroidery. She had on her lap a luxirious boquet of flowers, mostly daffodils, white roses and violets. In her ears were purple garnet earrings while her neck was boasting a purple garnet choker with sparkling diamonds.

Behind them were Lord Lucien's relatives. Fellow lords, dukes and other members of quasi-royalty trailed behind. Their horses were also white, but with yellow bridles and white roses braided into their manes. The horsemen wore plain white suits with a couple of them decked out in chivalrous knight's armor. The future queen's ladies wore white dresses with daffodils and daises in their hair.

"Wow!" Little and Reaver both exclaimed as they watched the parade.

The proceedings stopped at the infamous stairs up to Bowerstone North. There stood a solemn man wearing a brown monk's suit, following Avo apparently. He bowed before the future king as he came up the stairs, then stood up and began the ceremony. It was in some language that none of the kids understood, then Lord Lucien bowed before the monk alongside his wife.

"Sire, are you willing to take this oath?" The monk asked.

"I am willing." Lucien replied in a loud voice for all to hear.

The monk held out a book of the most sacred Temple of Avo teachings to Lucien. Lucien placed his hand upon it.

"Will you, Lord Lucien Edward Fairfax, solemnly promise to protect and govern the people of our fair kingdom Albion in accordance of the laws and customs of the land until the end of your natural life?" The monk asked.

"I solemnly promise to do so." Lucien replied.

"Will you promise to bring law, justice and mercy to Albion?" The monk asked.

"I will." Was Lucien's short answer.

"Will you, to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of Avo, maintaining the traditional roles of the temple as stated in Albion's traditions?" The monk said.

"I will." Lucien said.

"Will you, Lady Helena Elizabeth Fairfax, solemnly swear to aid the future king in all of his efforts to govern Albion?" The monk said, turning to the blonde woman to the right and a few paces back from Lord Lucien.

"I solemnly swear to do so." She said gently, to where most of the crowd had to assume she took the oath.

Wordlessly, the monk stepped aside, revealing two thrones of deep purple and gold, the one on the left being taller than the other. Lucien stepped up to his throne first, sitting down while the monk sat before him with the holy book open. Lucien once again placed his hand on the book and stared into the crowd of faces.

"I swear unto the citizens of Albion that I just promised, I will do with all of my heart until the day I die. I swear to Avo, I will do so." Lucien said.

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, with even Sparrow joining. The monk handed Lucien a golden orb and a scepter both encrusted with diamonds and purple garnets. Then he placed a giant crown onto Lucien's head too magnificent to be formed in the minds of others through literature. The monk then took a smaller tiara and placed it on top of Lady Helena's head.

The monk bowed and the monarchs stood up. The crowd followed suit – everyone bowed, even Reaver bowed without protest.

"I pronounce you, Lord Lucien Edgar Fairfax and Lady Amelia Elizabeth Fairfax, King Lucien and Queen Amelia of Albion!" The monk exclaimed while bowing. "Avo save the king and queen!"

"Avo save the king and queen!" The crowd replied back, going back into thunderous applause.

The King and Queen sat down in their seats, both very bewitching to the eyes of the children. King Lucien snapped his fingers then a musician played a happy tune on a lute. Many people in the crowd threw flowers and rice upon the steps, as long as they didn't come within fifty feet of the rulers. Even more began to dance joyfully in circles.

It was a beautiful event to be remembered for the rest of Garth's, Hammer's, Sparrow's, Little's and Rose's lives.

A/N: This was a pain chapter to write, LOL. So much research! I tried to make the coronation as realistic as I could, but there isn't really any description of the festivities that go along with coronations. So... mashup of Frozen's coronation day, my imagination and about an hour of trying to find what those snobby royals can wear. (From the feathers to the jewelry and colors!) BTW, chapter 7 is coming up. I felt it was too long for one chapter, so I split it up… Anyways, yay!


	7. Chapter 7: Coronation Day Part 2

Chapter 7

"That was entertaining." Garth said, clearing his throat.

"Yes, it was." Rose replied. She began to wonder if they were going to try and live in the old Grey house… after all, Rose didn't know if it survived that night…

"I am going to be as rich or richer than that man one day!" Reaver exclaimed, twirling around to the music.

"As if!" Little said, his eyes squinting. "You'll have to beat how rich I'll get!"

As the two descended into an argument, Sparrow was drawn to a trader who set up shop on one of the crowded streets.

"Come see the Amazing Murgo's Materialistic Adventures! Come see the delights! The horrors! We have limited time dolls of both King Lucien and Queen Amelia!" The trader shouted, attracting a sizeable crowd of onlookers.

Sparrow was able to squeeze her way to the front. Wasn't hard for her to do, since she was just a small child.

"Here is exhibit A. An enchanting mirror that brings out your beauty in it's rawest form. Only works in complete shadow, however. Twenty-five gold pieces? Sold, to the man with the red cap and beard going down to his belt! Come claim your new most prized possession! Next, for the witch hunters you may know, I have a flying broom. Throw it off a cliff and watch it mystically fly to the bottom! Fifteen gold pieces? Ten gold pieces? I've got to eat, you know! Eight gold pieces? Sold, then! To the beautiful woman with enough feathers to clothe a bird in her hair!"

This continued on for some time, with the trader exhibiting some of his most rarest possessions. One was a potion for instant teeth-whitening. (As long as you didn't have an allergy to chalk). Invisible ink (must be used with an invisible pen, however). Walking sticks (get 2 – must break first stick in half first). A spoon to feed you forever (must provide food yourself). Then came the most interesting object.

It was a small music box, made of a simple metal with a nice design. Murgo held it just right in the midday sun so that it shone.

"This here, was once owned by an ordinary man who used it to grant himself endless riches in order to win the hand of a fair maiden. It has an extraordinary promise to grant the one who cranks this music box up a single wish. Sadly, it doesn't work for me, so therefore I offer a major price drop! This extraordinary piece, which should be in a museum and is priceless, is going to be sold by the amazing Murgo for only five gold pieces! Only five!" Murgo shouted.

"What a load of rubbish." A grown man behind Sparrow said. "That thing doesn't work, yet he wants five gold for it. That magic shit doesn't exist!"

"What a sad world it has become when the average person does not believe in magic." An oddly familiar voice said to the man. Sparrow turned around.

There stood a female figure in a red cloak, with her face barely visible in the sunlight. Sparrow could see the edges of a blind fold around the woman's eyes.

"You may have given up the art of speech, young one, but you have failed to give up the art of believing in magic. Your magical ability can and will fade if you fail to recognize your potential. Tell me, Sparrow, where does your potential lie? In the Hero's Guild? With your mother and father, dead? Perhaps you need to find it out on your own..." The woman said. Sparrow was about to question the figure about how it knew her name, but before she could gather her words the mysterious woman was gone. And in Sparrow's hand was a coin purse filled nearly to the brim with coins. Sparrow couldn't believe her luck and stared up at the sky in shock.

Once Mungo's show was over, Sparrow walked up to Mungo. She opened the purse, counted out five gold coins and pointed at the music box. Mungo had serviced mute or deaf people before, and he smiled before giving her the box.

"Don't wish for anything crazy!" Mungo said. "Oh, and use it in a private, quiet place."

Sparrow smiled back and nodded. She walked back to in front of the tavern to find Reaver and Little bruised, Garth talking to the local schoolteacher about the Old Kingdom, and Hannah doing Rose's hair like the Queen's.

"Sparrow! There you are!" Rose exclaimed, happy to see her sister. "I was going to compete in a Queen look-a-like contest for food money. Why don't you try too? Hey, what's that?"

Wordlessly, Sparrow showed Rose a box. Rose didn't pay much heed to it, but then Sparrow got out her coin purse. She opened it only a bit, to show the glow of the gold.

"What on Avo's blessed ground!?" Rose yelled. "How did you get that? You stole it, didn't you? Please don't tell me you stole it… or even worse, degraded yourself!"

The three boys rushed over to see what was happening. Sparrow opened her mouth to say something, but then she realized no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't speak.

"Before you accuse her of stealing, let's see if we can figure out what's going on here!" Garth said calmly. "We can't be arrested, okay?"

Everyone else agreed. Garth walked over to Hannah and pulled a journal out from the backpack. Sparrow took the bit of charcoal Garth had and she began writing up a storm. When she was finished writing the tale, everyone was stunned.

"So, some crazy blind coot gave you that much money?" Reaver shrugged. "Avo, she's gotta be crazy. I wouldn't give up that much coinage for anyone, even a girl as pretty as you are."

For some reason, that comment made Garth want to punch the young boy senseless. But he ignored the unknown jealously and listened to Rose.

"Sparrow wouldn't lie. Plus, she's pretty clumsy. No offense! I doubt anyone would just carry this amount around in a place ready to reach. Plus, we lack lock picking skills. I believe you, Sparrow." Rose said, giving her sister a smile. "Come on now, we don't get to eat the coronation feast. Sadly. We're not snobby. But we do get a filling meal from the tavern!"

The group of misfits cheered and went into the tavern for the biggest meal they had eaten together.

A/N: Murgo is maybe an older, fatter version of the Murgo from Fable 1 (so, he's basically Murgo from Fable 2, LOL).


	8. Chapter 8: Wishes

Chapter 8

Sparrow woke up during the darkest hours of the night. She squirmed around in her uncomfortable Guild bed before she was able to gather the courage to actually get up. She had been here for a week and half and it still didn't feel like home. Nightmares were constant. Sparrow knew what they were of – her mother's death. But all she'd see were flames and fire, blood and soot… She had neglected to use her magical music box yet, because she hadn't thought of a good enough wish. Now, in her nightmare-induced haze, she had the best wish she could think of.

Her small feet touched the cold wooden floor with a small creak. But no one awoke. She pulled the music box out from under her bed, watching it shine in the moonlight. Sparrow knew she shouldn't be getting up in the middle of the night for this kind of thing, but there wasn't a better time for wishing. Murgo did say to use it in a quiet place after all.

And Sparrow knew of just the place. Garth kept going on and on about it – the Chamber of Fate. It was the oldest part of the Guild. Some historical society apparently came in last fall and redid the chamber a few months ago, right before Sparrow's father died. It even had frescoes of her father's life: his marriage to Lady Grey, the burning of Oakvale, and him fighting a few enemies. But to get there, Sparrow had to crawl her way through the library and to the chamber itself. And she wasn't the best at sneaking…

Sparrow walked cautiously over to the door of their dorm room, trying not to let her hands shake out of excitement. Her feet slipped over an exceedingly loud and creaky floor board, which stirred Little.

"What on Avo are you up to!?" Little screeched quietly, jumping onto his feet. He didn't even make a sound, though… "Sneaking out? Without me?! You're lucky everyone else in here is a heavy sleeper…"

Sparrow shrugged.

"Fine. If you're gonna do this, count me in. I need some excitement." Little said, scratching himself. "Darned itchy blankets..."

Sparrow watched Little walk over to the doorway with a glint in her eyes. She couldn't say no to him.

"So, where we going?" Little asked, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. Little was never too keen on changing his clothes before going to bed. Sparrow wordlessly pointed towards the library. Little nodded.

Little went first. He knew every creaky floorboard and every doorway in the hall. He'd sneaked in this hallway one too many times with Reaver. Once he reached the library entrance, he saw that Sparrow had followed his exact footsteps and couldn't help but smile.

The library had no illumination in it. It was near the center of the Guild, so no windows allowed light in. The Guild refused to allow candles to be beside their most valued books twenty-four hours each day. One or two of the older student's candles flickered off in the distance.

"Is there some book or something you want, sis?" Little asked. "Such a boring place to sneak through..."

Without saying anything, Sparrow walked in a straight line through the library. No one lifted their heads up from their late-night studying to even notice. Little rolled his eyes. He really had to teach Sparrow how to sneak one day. It would be a bummer to have a sister who couldn't sneak for peanuts.

Sparrow stared at the door with the Guild Seal for a moment, wondering if she should do this. Her mother would sometimes tell her about how dangerous magic was, no matter how harmless it seemed. But this was just an old music box and she had a slight doubt whether it would work or not.

Little watched his sister retreat further into the Guild. He rolled his eyes – he hated dumb errands, especially those with books. But his need to protect his sister overrode that and he found himself scrambling to go into the Chamber of Fate.

Sparrow looked down at the silver music box. She heard the door creak open and sighed at Little's presence. He definitely wasn't going to be quiet… But surprisingly he was. Little found himself staring at the frescoes on the walls, trying to match them up to his father's own tales. Sparrow walked into the most illuminated part of the room, where the colored lights came in from the stained glass windows.

Silently, Sparrow closed her eyes and began her wish. Then she turned the key to the music box three times, hearing a sweet little song. When she opened her eyes, the music box flew up from her hands. Sparrow gasped, trying to catch it without success. Little watched, his eyes mesmerized by the apparent magic that was going on. Then it began to spin faster in the air, the music speeding up as well. Then without a warning, it disappeared into a puff of faint blue sparkly smoke and a flash of light. Sparrow looked on the floor for it, but it was completely gone…

"What on Avo was that about?!" Little asked, looking around the room frantically. "Where did you get that?!"

Before Sparrow could answer, the door flung wide open.

"There's more in here!" A man's voice yelled. His torch illuminated the chamber. A squad of about six men rushed in after him, bearing guns and swords. They wore a deep shade of purple with funny looking hats and steel breastplates. "Grab them!"

Two of the soldiers ran towards Sparrow. Their swords were raised, ready to attack. She opened her mouth to scream for help.

But before she could, an aura of blue magic appeared in front of her. In the blink of an eye, both soldiers were unconscious on the stone floor, twitching about.

"Leave my family alone." Was all Theresa said. She stood proudly in front of Sparrow, a red mist circling around her hands. With a swift motion of her hands, a circle of fire surrounded the three of them.

"I can stall them. Go find your friends, both of you." She commanded. "I'll find you after this is done."

Without another word, Little took his sister's hand and ran out the chamber as the fire dissipated.

A/N: Aunt Theresa's back with a can of whoop-arse. I imagine the guards to look like Logan's Elite Guard from Fable III. As if I need to add more details to this already long chapter… Sorry I took so long. Life stuff happened. I have more chapters lined up for this, so stay tuned! :) Thanks to all of you who stayed to read this!


	9. Chapter 9: Savagery and Flames

Chapter 9

"Don't let them get away!" One of the assailants screamed. Sparrow dared to look back and saw one of the men in purple chasing after them, gun ready to shoot. Little ran as fast as he could with Sparrow dragging behind him, dodging fire and soot.

The whole Guild was on fire. Some of the beams supporting the floors above fell with exacerbated snaps onto the floor, crumbling into ash within seconds of contact. The siblings heard the all too familiar sound of a gunshot going off behind them, yet Little didn't stop to speculate what it was.

In the midst of the blazing inferno, they heard a familiar voice.

"Take that, you monstrous villain!" Reaver yelled above the crackling of flames. He was dashingly handsome, even in firelight, fighting for his life. He had stolen a gun from the Guild's armory about a week ago and was using it to his advantage. His dark brown black hair shone in the light as he stood triumphantly before any foe who dared to oppose him.

"Reaver! Come on!" Little said, swooping over to him, jumping over smaller flames in the process. Sparrow followed, looking around nervously to make sure no enemies came near. Reaver was dragged away by the collar of his nightshirt. Even then he was attempting to shoot people.

"In the name of Lord Lucien, we demand you cease fire upon his imperial guards!" One unscathed officer cried out amongst the screams of the dying.

"Where is everyone, Reaver?!" Little yelled, letting go of Reaver.

"Upstairs!" Reaver cried. "Briar Rose was gathering them into the bigger dorms!"

"Sparrow, go outside and wait for us!" Little said, dashing up the stairs. Reaver followed him.

"No!" Sparrow shouted. Little looked at her in shock for a moment, then shrugged and continued up the stairs.

"Then don't just stand there, come on! We've gotta do what Aunt Theresa says!" Little demanded.

Sparrow nodded and fled up the stairs as fast as she could. She nearly tripped halfway up, but Reaver caught her before her face hit the wooden steps. They ran down the hallway together until they got to the older student's dorms.

"It's locked!" Little cried after trying to open the door. Without further thinking, Reaver shot a hole below the doorhandle.

"Little, is that you?!" Hannah asked from within the room. The door wouldn't budge, even when Little tried to get the door open through the hole. "Stand back!"

The trio did as told, and with a crash, Hannah brutally smashed through the door.

"They got Garth and Rose! Took 'em towards the Guildmaster's tower!" Hannah said, shaking. "Briar Rose went after them! I tried to stop them, I did..."

"Don't worry about that." Reaver said. "We can still get to them if we get out of here fast enough. This place is burning as we speak."

"I know a way out! There's a staircase from this dorm to the courtyard!" Hannah interjected, running back into the room. "Just don't look down!"

With no other choice, Reaver, Sparrow and Little went after Hannah. Sparrow didn't know what she meant at first until she actually looked down at her feet. Blood was dirtying her feet. They were literally wading in blood. Sparrow quickened her pace, not wanting to be left behind. Bodies of the dead and dying were sprawled about and she could do nothing to help… just like mother…

Little could see the Guildmaster's tower from the staircase. Following Hannah's footsteps, they ran towards the tower.

Garth stood at the entrance of the tower, electricity sprouting from his hands.

"Stand back! He has magic!" One of the guards said.

"That's right! And I'm not afraid to use it!" Garth said, stunning one of the guards with a lightining bolt when they tried to get too close to him. "Back off!"

"Garth!" Hannah said, sighing in relief.

Garth turned around. He smiled despite being in big trouble. He was relieved to see his friends were okay.

"They have Rose at the top of the tower!" Garth said, staring at Little and Sparrow.

"So? We still have to clear these stupid guards first..." Reaver said, brandishing his gun.

"We can do this." Was all Hammer said, curling her hands into fists.

Little and Sparrow nodded, ready to fight for their short lives.

Garth and Sparrow stood in the middle of the group, casting various small spells they learned in class like lightning and fire bolt. It was oddly satisfying, mainly for Garth, to send an enemy feet back into the air with such a simple spell. Reaver stood near the front, shooting his gun at every enemy that moved. Reaver aimed with a lack of care. He didn't care if they lived or died. He just wanted them out of the way. Hannah was able to bunch a few guys square in the jaw while Little stood ready to hurt anyone who got too close. Hannah was hesitant to use full force on them despite the fact they were ruining her simple life. Little just wanted to see his older sister. The room cleared within moments, and the group breathed a sigh of relief.

Together, they went up the stairs to the summit of the tower. It wasn't just Sparrow and Little worried for their older sister. Everyone was worried now. They hadn't heard her cry for help or anything…

And for a good reason, too.

A/N: CLIFFHANGEERRR! Sparrow actually spoke! Wow. Next chapter coming up soon. :) The Guildmaster's tower is basically Maze's spire/tower thing from the first Fable. I mean, come on. Why wouldn't Weaver use those rooms once Maze died? I was always slightly disappointed in the fact that Fable II only had like 1 boss battle where all the heroes fought the same boss. It was really satisfying.


End file.
